The use of lasers for scoring, forming lines of weakness or grooving, and cutting thin film plastics and other materials, including fabrics and the like, has been known for some time. Generally, the laser beam is focused to cause local vaporization or degradation of the material as the material and/or the laser is/are moved relative to one another.
Two-mirror systems, or galvos, are generally incorporated into a laser system for directing or redirecting the laser beam in a predetermined pattern to process a substrate. In laser processing of a substrate, the program used to control the galvo and to direct the laser is generally referred to as “camming.”
Prior art methods for laser processing parts on a moving roll require a different tooling plate for each individual part processed. The tooling plate provides the material support and allows chads and other interior part features to be pulled from the web. The requirement of a tooling plate increases capital expense as well as changeover time. Along with this, the tooling plates need to be cleaned frequently, increasing machine downtime.
Laser processing can be used to form or cut holes in a substrate. The laser spot can be fixed with regard to the substrate to remove an area and form a hole or, a trepanning mode can be used wherein the laser is guided in a circle, so that a disc is cut out of the substrate. In prior art laser systems, complex parts are processed using a “step and repeat” method where a part nesting is processed within the field of view of the laser while the web is stationary, the web is then indexed forward and the next part nesting is processed. The prior art process requires the web to be stationary in order to be processed such that laser on time during processing is generally 50% or less, depending on part complexity and indexing speeds.